Downer to head vets' office Ex-lawmaker helped elevate department Capitol news bureau Former state Rep. Hunt Downer was named secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday, an office he helped elevate to Cabinet-level status. Downer was picked for the job by Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who won the race for governor last year over a field that included Downer, a Republican and former House member from Houma. Downer finished sixth in the October primary. Downer, a brigadier general and assistant adjutant general in the Louisiana National Guard, will be the first secretary of the department. The office was elevated...